Captain Emilio Carranza

Captain Emilio Carranza

The "Lindbergh of Mexico," Emilio
Carranza Rodriguez, will forever be bound to a patch of forest in the New
Jersey Pine Barrens.

In 1928, Emilio Carranza Rodriguez was 22 years
old and a hotshot hero of Mexican aviation. Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight
the previous year and his subsequent dramatic flight to Mexico City made a
powerful impression south of the border. Influential men in Mexico decided that
their country should have its own flyboy glory. A plane was built, the Mexico-Excelsior
(an exact copy of Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis), and it was announced that
Captain Carranza would fly from Mexico City to New York and then back again.

The
trip to New York was done in stages and went smoothly. But the return flight
was going to be a non-stop, grueling test of endurance. Carranza delayed his
departure for three days because of bad weather, and then abruptly flew off on
the evening of July 12, 1928, in a wild thunderstorm.

Rumor has it that he was forced to leave on
orders from a jealous Mexican general, whose telegram to Carranza was
reportedly later found in the aviator's pocket.

"Leave immediately," it read, "or
the quality of your manhood will be in doubt."

Carranza only got about 50 miles south before his
flight ended in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, a vast stretch of pine
trees and sand. His body was discovered the next day by some locals picking
blueberries. Carranza had a flashlight in his right hand -- literally in his
right hand, as the force of the impact had driven it into his palm. He had
apparently been looking for a place to land when he crashed into some trees.

The heartbroken children of Mexico contributed
pennies to build a monument, inscribed in both English and Spanish, to mark the
spot where their hero had died. It still stands today, an arrow on one side
pointing skyward, an Aztec eagle on the other plummeting to earth. Eerie
footprints have been carved into the granite to signify Carranza's final
touchdown. "THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO," its inscription reads, "HOPE
THAT YOUR HIGH IDEALS WILL BE REALIZED."

The ground where Carranza met his end is as empty
today as it was in 1928. A lonely road leads past the monument, through miles
of pine trees. The closest neighbor is several miles up the road, the
"Life Skills and Leadership Academy," a boot camp for teen criminals.
Perhaps they draw inspiration from Carranza when they police the grounds around
his memorial, but otherwise this is a lonely place.

Once a year, at 1:00 P.M. on the Saturday closest
to July 12th, Emilio Carranza is honored. Veterans organizations from the South New Jersey area, along with representatives from the
Mexican consulates in New York City and Philadelphia hold a
ceremony for the Lindbergh of Mexico. For one afternoon Carranza is again a
hero, although he might have preferred to be remembered* for something other
than this.